Ah, Young Love
by Eevee Tofu
Summary: Mello is a boy, but Matt doesn't know it yet. MxM
1. Chapter 1

Oh gosh darn it, I jumped on the "Mello's a Girl" bandwagon. Shiiit. Well… yeah. Enjoy.

x – x – x – x

The common room was filled with the usual sounds of chatter, children talking, others playing games. Matt sat in the corner before the small TV set, N64 controller in hand, happily mashing away at the buttons. Beside him, his best friend Juri lay on her stomach, watching Mario run around like a fool.

"Why'd you let the monkey take your hat?" she asked him.

"Mario needed to air out his head," the twelve-year old boy replied. "He's got hat hair."

Juri looked closer. "My god, he does. Something's wrong with that. He needs new shampoo." The fifteen-year old girl had to laugh at the absurdity of it. "I dunno how he can live with himself."

Matt grinned, revealing slightly crooked teeth. He and Juri shared a love for technology and had been friends since Matt had come to Wammy's at the tender age of seven. Juri had adopted the role of "big sister," comforting the little frightened little boy and taking him under her wing. Eventually, Matt had come to like her—and I mean **really** like her—but then he found her making out with another girl. It didn't exactly bother him that Juri was a lesbian, but it did crush his dreams a little.

But he'd gotten over that. Plenty of fish in the sea, right? Speaking of fish, Matt had just snatched his 100th Star from behind a giant eel when something in the room's atmosphere changed. He looked up and saw, standing in the doorway, an angel. At least, that's what she looked like. Matt froze. Juri noticed this and turned in the direction of Matt's gaze. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

"Do you see that, or am I imagining it?"

"See what? I see a lot of things."

"That girl over there. I've never seen her around here before."

Juri blinked. The only unfamiliar person she saw was a blond boy in the doorway, accompanied by the ever-grumpy Roger. The boy's shoulder-length gold hair and soft features could lead one to mistake him for a girl. "Yeah, I'd hit that," she grinned. Matt just gazed, transfixed, at the new kid. Juri almost felt bad for him, but she knew better. This was a crucial step in his maturity: learning how to tell the difference between genders.

"I-I'm gonna go talk to her," Matt decided as Roger sulked off, leaving the blond standing awkwardly in the doorway. With legs like jelly, he made his way across the room. "Um, hi," he said stupidly as he stopped in front of the blond. "I, uh… I'm Matt."

The blond looked at him warily. "Hi…"

Matt shuffled his feet a little. "You're, uh… you're pretty," he mumbled, feeling stupid.

"Um… thanks. I'm Mello." The blond held out a hand shyly, and Matt shook it. Awkwardly.

The gears began to turn in Mello's head. Matt was cute. **Really** cute. And he thought Mello was a girl, which the crafty blond could use to his advantage. He was used to getting basically everything he wanted, and Matt would not ruin that track record. So he played along.

"Uh… you wanna come over and sit with us? Um, I mean, me and my friend, over there…"

"Sure." Mello took Matt's hand, which made the redhead blush fiercely. They made their way over to the corner where Juri sat waiting.

"Hi, I'm Juri," the girl introduced herself, grinning widely.

Matt cleared his throat. "This is Mello," he sad, noticing his new friend had gone silent.

"Nice to meet you, sweetie." Juri sidled up to Mello and flirted with him as best she could. "Oh, you're darling… Matt, I think I might have to steal her from you," she said, taking Mello's hands and pulling him closer to her. Mello, again, decided to play along, hoping this would make Matt a little jealous.

The redhead frowned a little. "Juri," he whimpered. The girl sighed and pushed Mello back over toward him. The blond caught himself on Matt's chest, inches away from his face. Both blushed and jerked away quickly, but happened to glance at each other at the same moment. Matt's heart fluttered.

"Mello!" Roger barked from the doorway. Mello jumped, startled by the sudden call. He gazed longingly at Matt, then turned and scurried over to the old man. Matt watched them disappear, a pit forming in the bottom of his stomach.

"How long do you think her evaluation's gonna take?" Juri asked of Matt.

The redhead sighed. "Too long."

x – x – x – x

Sooo how do you like it? Review plz. I gives yu cookiez. And jam.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm baaack! And it's time for part two!

x x x x x

Every new admission to the Wammy's House had to undergo an evaluation process to determine his or her skills and intelligences. After completing these tests, the child would be placed in appropriate classes, and assigned a suitable roommate. Until then, he or she had to stay in a single-accomodation room, referred to as "solitary confinement" by the children of Wammy's.

It was 12:24 in the morning, and Mello still hadn't managed to fall asleep. He was terribly scared of being alone, especially at night. It brought up too many bad memories. Gunshots, broken glass, bloodied sheets. The acrid smell of death. Mello hugged his pillow, feeling like his chest was being ripped open. He shook, crying silently, until his feet carried him across the cold wooden floor.

Matt, meanwhile, was playing Pokemon in the dark with his new Advance SP. Suddenly he heard the sound of feet shuffling and a soft _flump_ against the door. He went over and pulled the door open, and saw Mello huddled against the door frame.

"What are you doing here?" Matt hissed, pulling Mello into his room and closing the door. "If they see you in this wing, you'll get in deep trouble!"

"… I had to see you," Mello said in a small voice, eyes trained on the floor.

"In the middle of the night?"

"Uh huh."

Matt blinked and gazed oddly at the blond. "Why?"

Mello was still staring at the floor. "You're gonna think I'm crazy, but I… I got scared and I wanted to find someone I could trust…"

"Oh." Matt's awkward side decided to come out again. "Well, uh, I just… mmh," he finished lamely, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He also opted to stare at the floor.

Mello stole a glance up at him and couldn't help the smile that curled his lips. "You're cute," he said softly. In the glow of the nite-lite, Matt caught a glimpse of the blond's expression.

"Naw," he gushed comedically; he stopped when he realized Mello wasn't laughing. "… Really?" he asked meekly.

"Mhmm." The blond took a tiny step closer. "You're the cutest boy I've ever seen, actually…"

"Well, I, uh… I wouldn't say that," Matt chuckled nervously.

"I would." Mello leaned in close and touched a kiss to Matt's warm cheek. The young gamer just stood, frozen by the gesture.

"I…" Matt gulped and lifted a hand to his cheek. "I, uh… reallylikeyoualot," he mumbled.

"I like you back." Mello giggled and kissed his other cheek. "A lot."

Matt was struck dumb by the feeling of Mello's hands finding his and lacing their fingers together.

"Will you be my boyfriend?" Mello whispered.

Words flooded Matt's mouth all at once and he stuttered a little before finally replying (with some difficulty), "Y-yeah, of… of course I will."

Mello kissed him on the nose, then took a step back, their fingers still woven together. "Matt," he murmured, drawing the gamer's attention. Matt looked up and met pale blue eyes. "I'm not scared anymore."

Matt smiled. "That's good." He breathed out a sigh when Mello's fingers drifted away from his. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Mello nodded. "Tomorrow."

x x x x x

La de da de daaa. Yes, sap. I promise this will get better soon! YAY!


	3. Chapter 3

Holy crapola! So many reviews! Well I'm glad you're all enjoying it. Yes, Matt is stupid. But come on you know you love him anyway! YOU KNOW IT. ADMIT IT. … Okay. Good.

Crispy my love, fancy meeting you here :3

ON WITH THE STORY!

x x x x x

The following morning found Matt and Juri eating breakfast, when Mello came up to their table, tiny blond frame drowning in a sea of oversized black clothing.

"Hey cutie," Juri grinned. Mello opted to sit next to Matt, who felt heat starting to pool in his cheeks. The two shared a look before Matt returned to his waffle.

"You not gon' get anyfin ta eat?" Juri inquired, her mouth overflowing with cinnamon bun.

"I'm not really hungry," Mello said shyly.

Juri shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Somehow Matt's and Mello's hands gravitated towards each other, coming together under the table. They stayed like that until the bell rang to signal the start of classes. Mello's farewell to Matt was a quick kiss on the cheek, which lingered there for hours after they went their separate ways. All through the day, Matt kept absentmindedly placing his hand on his cheek, feeling the energy that radiated from the memory of her lips on his skin.

(Hur hur hur. Silly Matt. Mello's not a she.)

At supper, Matt kept glancing at the doorway every half a second. Juri half-laughed, half-sighed. "Well that certainly didn't take you very long."

Matt shot her a look of confusion. "Huh?"

"You and Mello. You're getting pretty close mighty quickly."

Matt shrugged, metaphoric puppy ears pricking when blond hair caught the light. "Hi," he blushed as Mello sat down next to him. "How were the tests?"

"Oh, uh… I'm done, they just need to process the results…"

"Bet you're in the top ten," the redhead said with a smile. Mello turned pink, but didn't speak. "No, seriously! You seem like a really smart girl!"

Mello gave Matt's hand a gentle squeeze, but still, said nothing.

_(scene break yay I like traffic lights)_

The following day, rankings were posted on the corkboard in the common room. Everyone milled about, talking quietly amongst one another as they tried to push through the crowd. Matt and Juri waited patiently for a turn at the rankings, neither really caring much about their placement; the top five scorers pretty much always stayed the same. Suddenly a girl near the front let out a shriek and collapsed to the floor, shaking.

"Trice?" Juri elbowed her way through the crowd to the hyperventilating girl. "Trice, what's wrong?"

"She got bumped out of the top five," a boy nearby reported. "I think she's having a nervous breakdown!"

"No, that's clearly a panic attack," a bespectacled boy replied haughtily.

"Obviously those are symptoms of asthma!" another piped up. "She needs to get to the infirmary immediately!"

"This is what happens when nerds get into an argument," Matt muttered to Mello, who chuckled darkly.

The crowd followed Juri, who carried Trice away in her strong butchy arms. Mello didn't even give her one last glance before darting forth to check the papers. Matt followed closely behind.

"Dang!" he said, inspecting the rankings. "I knew you were smart! You pushed everyone down!"

"Except for... Near."

"Oh, we don't count him. No one's ever been able to score higher than him. He's like the glass ceiling of Wammy's."

Mello pondered silently.

"Cheer up! You got second on your first test! That's incredible!" Matt flung his arms around Mello and hugged tightly.

"... yeah." Mello forgot his disappointment as Matt embraced him. He felt far too comfortable to dwell on his failure.

x x x x x x

Lalalala end. Kind of short, I know, sorry... More to come soon! I have renewed love for this story!


	4. Chapter 4

Um, okay, so apparently someone had trouble deciphering whether Mello is male or female in this story. To this person (who reviewed anonymously, thanks a lot. SARCASM), I simply say, READ MORE CLOSELY PLZ. I have clearly stated that Mello is a boy, but Matt THINKS he's a girl. PAY ATTENTION NOW, CLASS, THERE WILL BE A TEST ON THIS. -*taps chalkboard with pointer*-

Okay. On to the story.

x x x x x

At 11:48, Mello snuck out of his room to the boys' wing. He tapped lightly on the door with a poster taped to the front: an elfen boy with blond hair, wearing a green tunic and matching pointed hat. The door opened slowly, revealing Matt's face.

"Again?" he said quietly, ushering Mello in. "If you keep doing this, they're bound to catch you eventually..."

"Do you not want me to visit?"

"It's not that... I just don't want you to get in trouble."

"Well as long as I'm here, can I stay a while? I have something I wanna ask you..."

"Yeah?" Matt asked, as they both sat on the bed.

"Who's Near?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "He's a freaky little albino kid. Seriously, don't get too worked up over him; no one's ever been able to surpass him, like, ever."

Mello frowned. "I'm gonna change that record."

"Yeah, good luck with that. Really, though, you're the smartest girl in Wammy's, why can't you just be happy with that?"

"Because I'm still only second best."

Matt was quiet for a moment. "You're not second best to **me**," he said softly.

Mello looked up to meet his gaze. "Matt," he sighed.

"No, really. I mean it," the redhead said as he moved closer. "No one else can even begin to compare to you... Maybe I'm crazy, but I... I feel something for you..."

A lump formed in Mello's throat as Matt drew closer still. He swallowed, trying to stop his stomach from churning.

"Mello... can I... kiss you?"

"No." The word choked forth from the blond's throat as he pushed Matt back gently. "I can't let things go on like this... I'm not what you think I am."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"... I'm not a girl."

Matt blinked and shuffled back awkwardly. "Oh. Um. Okay then."

"I'm so sorry, Matt..." Mello brought his knees up to his chest, leaning his forehead against them. He bit down hard on his lip to keep from crying.

The gamer took a slow breath to calm himself. "Everything you said to me, though... the stuff about how you liked me a lot, and trusted me, and wanted me to be your boyfriend... Is all that still true?"

"Mm-hmm..." Mello sniffed.

Matt hesitated before reaching out to touch Mello's hand. It hadn't changed at all; the fingers still sent sparks of joy through his body when interlocked with his. The gentle squeeze Mello gave did not fail to bring a smile to Matt's face.

"You're still Mello," he murmured. "It doesn't matter to me whether you're a boy or a girl... I still like you. And I still want to kiss you."

"Really?" Mello lowered his knees to meet Matt's eyes.

"Yeah..." Matt scooted closer to him. "Can I...?"

"Yes," Mello all but breathed, closing his eyes as Matt's nose brushed against his.

It lasted barely a second, but it was enough to make their hearts pound; they separated as the air became too thick to breathe properly. Mello found Matt's gaze and suddenly everything around him turned to dust; his fear melted away as the sapphire eyes before him glowed with an emotion neither had ever felt before. He placed uncertain hands on Matt's shoulders and deposited a kiss onto his waiting lips. Matt's arms curled around his torso, pulling him closer, warmth spreading through their bodies. They parted once more, both silent for a moment.

"I've never kissed anyone before," Matt confessed softly.

"Me neither." Mello grinned sheepishly.

Matt brought his face close to Mello's; their lips barely brushed as he murmured, "I really, **really** like you, Mello..." He shivered slightly as Mello kissed him again.

"Matt," Mello whispered as he broke the kiss, "I think I... **love** you."

"Ah..." Matt forgot how to breathe for a moment. He hugged Mello tightly, burying his face in luxurious golden hair. "Love," he said quietly. "Is that what this feeling is?"

"That depends on what exactly you feel..."

Matt fell silent and listened to Mello's breathing, felt his slender body pulsing slightly with the beat of his heart. He inhaled the scent covering him, the scent unique to Mello and only Mello. He tightened his arms around him and adored how Mello nuzzled into his embrace.

"I feel..." Matt closed his eyes and groped for words to describe it. "I feel like... everything up until now has just been a dream. Like it's the first time I've actually been awake..."

Mello just nodded. "Yeah," he whispered, "me too..."

They sat in silence for a long time, until Mello noticed something he'd never really seen before.

"Why are there two beds in here?"

"Oh, uh... I used to have a roommate, but he moved out a while ago and they just haven't put someone else in here."

"Does everyone here have to share a room?"

"Pretty much... except Near, since he's autistic and doesn't get along with other kids too well."

"Do you get to choose who rooms with you?"

"I doubt it... I mean, even L had to share a room when he was here. ... With B, no less..."

"With who?"

"B... He was a really smart guy who turned into a serial killer... But while he was here, I heard, he and L were constantly at war with each other."

"... Oh."

Silence.

"I hope they put me with you," Mello said softly.

"Yeah, me too."

"I love you," Mello murmured, snuggling into the arms wrapped around him.

Matt went internally crazy. "I love you too," he whispered back. The words felt so right forming on his lips, sounded so perfect in his own voice, that he had to say it again. "I love you." His heart swelled when Mello repeated the phrase once again, bringing his lips close to kiss him.

"Mell," Matt said softly, drawing a smile from the blond at his impromptu nickname. "Can I still be your boyfriend?"

Mello pulled back to look him in the eyes. "You want everyone to know?"

Matt shrugged. "Well... yeah..."

"But... people might judge us..."

"But it's love," Matt said, frowning slightly. "It's **love**, Mell; why should anything else matter?"

"Not everyone thinks like that," Mello lamented.

"Well... fuck them," Matt said, feeling a thrill at having spoken a curse word. "If they don't like it, then they can just... not look."

Mello smiled and kissed Matt again. "I guess so."

x x x x x

Lalala end of this installment. WOO FINALLY A KISS! -is shot-

I'm really tired. I'ma go to bed now. -passes out-


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